By Sam Tait Long heralded as an oasis of ‘development,’ democracy, literacy, genderequality, caste consciousness and political mobilization against the formalized caste system (Devika 2010; Steur 2009), in truth, structural inequality arranged across caste lines persists in Kerala (Mosse 2010; Nampoothiri 2009; Isac 2011). Dr. Susamma Isac, a project officer at CREST, asserts that in … Continue reading
By Sara Christensen Kerala is a unique place. Within India, it is a state known for its development, both economic and social. Yet institutions such as the Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation (CREST) are still needed. Although the caste system is now officially illegal in India, “former lowcaste citizens,” now referred to … Continue reading
Imaging Kensington is a series of informal meet-ups of members of the Ethnography Lab who explore Kensington Market in more depth through personal photography and focused discussions on multidisciplinary themes. This past month we have been using the concepts of palimpsest, facade and bricolage to seek new insights into ways that the past plays out in the present in the social, cultural and spatial … Continue reading
The Ethnography Lab is pleased to welcome Paul Hartley to the 2015-2016 Speaker Series on Friday, November 27th, 5-6pm, for a discussion about ethnographic action outside the academy. — An important transformation in business is creating the need for research at the point where applied anthropology, business, and design meet. This change is creating a … Continue reading
Students from the University of Toronto’s Munk One program have recently completed a partnership with the Ethnography Lab to conduct mini ethnography projects. Each of the 29 students spent time in Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood making observations, conducting informal interviews and writing ethnographic fieldnotes addressing an individual research theme. Each thematic project was also clustered … Continue reading
The Ethnography Lab is pleased to welcome Rebecca Gray to the 2015-2016 Speaker Series on Friday, November 13th, 5-6pm, for a discussion about ethnoarchaeology in the subarctic. In June 2015 I traveled to the community of Behchokǫ, NWT in order to interview Tłı̨chǫ elders, members of the Dene first nation, as a part of my … Continue reading
The Ethnography in Canada Hub will be having its third monthly discussion group on Thursday, November 26th from 5-6pm in The Ethnography Lab seminar room (Department of Anthropology, 19 Russell Street, Toronto). The theme of discussion will be: “How do we navigate our work as ethnographers in communities where we may have other roles, political commitments, or … Continue reading
Ever wonder what it’s like for an anthropologist outside the ivory tower? A follow-up to the Ethnography Lab’s “Ethnography in the Private Sector” talk by Graham Candy, anthropology students who interned at Diamond Integrated Marketing this past summer will be talking about what it’s like translating theory learned in the classroom to strategy presented in … Continue reading
Reassembling Ethnography: Using Mulit-Sited Fieldwork to Meet the Challenges of Researching the Canadian Wild Food Trade The Ethnography Lab is pleased to welcome Dylan Gordon to the 2015-2016 Speaker Series on Friday, October 23rd, 5-6pm, for a discussion about multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in Canada. From an ethnographer’s perspective, commercial pickers of wild foods are challenging … Continue reading
The Ethnography in Canada Hub will be having its second monthly discussion group on October 28th, from 6:30–7:30pm in The Ethnography Lab. The theme of discussion will be: “The stakes: why do we practice our ethnography in Canada?” Bring your thoughts- all are welcome! Location: Department of Anthropology, 19 Russell Street, Toronto, Room 330 Continue reading
Ethnography Lab 